Chapter 266: Is This Another Habit Of Yours?
Chapter 266: Is This Another Habit Of Yours?
Camilla
It was every inch of the distraction I needed as I bolted away from the house, knowing that if I could make it to my rental car I could escape without another word. I am sure the old man was already calling for backup now and with the twins' attention on me, he would remain safe and sound for now.
I tried to stick to hiding within the trees for cover as I ran, forcing my body to turn in an odd direction to limit my chance of being shot at should it come to that. I was close enough to the abandoned road that running was worth the risk, even though I could no longer hear the twins' footsteps behind me. With how trained they were, the following silence made sense but it also led as a distraction to me as I was forced to focus both on my pathway as well as any signs of where they were.
Catching me would be their best chance of getting to the man and knowing he had a daughter to return to, I couldn't let that happen. Blame it on my father's issues, but no amount of respect I had for the twins would let me surrender a man who was just trying to show up for his child. The snap of a twig at my right snagged my attention back to the situation at hand, knowing it hadn't been my boot to set off the sound, I was only given a millisecond of a warning before a gunshot was being fired.
I swerved, well aware of how stupid this was, away from where I suspected the bullet had been aimed at and successfully dodged the shot just as my side rammed into something much large and much more painful. I released a barely suppressed yelp as the thick, jagged end of a tree branch cut right through my thin black jacket, slicing right across my stomach in a way that told me it was bad. The hood over my face fell away just as the sound of a gasp sounded in the background, knowing I had likely been recognized and not stopping as the sight of my getaway car fell before me. Within only a few more steps, I was slamming myself right in the driver's seat and shoving the keys into the ignition, my headlights remained off as I sped away from the curb.
I didn't dare glance back to the tree line as I did my best to focus on driving, trying to ignore the throbbing of my already injured stomach and the overwhelming thoughts in my head telling me I deserved all of this. Unsteady breaths forced their way past my lips while punishing words hounded my mind, knowing damn well why I accepted this job in the first place and refusing to admit it to anyone. High stake jobs resulted in high stake consequences and during my time at The Safe, I sought every opportunity like this out. Something I learned there is that life is all about survival, I tended to lean against the edge of it every now and then, seeing just how far I could go before tipping over into a pit of danger I couldn't come back from.
I never receive the fate I both look and run from, though. The world never seems to be that kind to me. Instead, I find myself speeding back into Kumon City like a guilty teenager trying to sneak back in on a Friday night, pressing down on the freshly adored wound that was now making my head wet with the kind of warmth I knew to be as blood. I let myself fall into numbness as I drove way faster than I should have been, going a step further to ignore the calls ringing into my phone only minutes before I would be pulling into the driveway of my weeklong hideaway.
My father could waste all of his breath lecturing me another time about how my recklessness wouldn't land me anywhere good but tonight, three men doing what was more than enough. Tossing my phone right out the window, I sighed at the sound of it hitting the concrete before it was no longer my problem. Pulling into the largest driveway I have ever seen only minutes later, I got out of the car and limped way right up to the front door, silently thanking the darkness for shielding my wounds from the guards at the gate. The blood on my hands was another story but no one seemed to take notice with their priorities on looking out for other threats.
Still, the second I opened the door to the grand entrance, I made sure to hide them swiftly into my pockets, using my foot to close the door as soon as I got far enough inside. The initial gust of warmth was almost enough to make me fall to my knees in pleasure as my tiredness hit me like a ton of weight, kicking off my snow covered boot before realizing I wasn't alone. It was only seven or so, but with everything else jumbled on my mind, I failed to remember what an unlocked front door meant.
The men must have gotten back home based on the drying water droplets on their own shoes, my head turning up to find the owners of this house sitting on the living room couch, their eyes caught solely on me. As I glanced over each of their expressions individually, I saw something in their gaze that had my thighs wanting to press together under the pressure of their stares. Their faces told me they were looking to punish and me sneaking out with an obsessive stalker on my hands put something they seemed to care about in danger.
At the sight of a knife twirling between Adriano's fingers as though he were merely fidgeting, his eyes grew calm and focused on me even though it was clear no one had taken notice of my condition yet.
"Oh, Camilla." Adriano shook his head slowly, pityingly as he began the first conversation we have had since those same fingers around his weapon were stroking against all the right spots between my thighs just some few hours ago.
"Is sneaking out in the dead of night another new habit of yours we get to learn about?"
His voice was one of authority as he spoke, lower than me since he was sitting but emitting every inch of power and dominance he held contained within him. With the two men at his side, I couldn't even come to imagine what it would feel like to be caught in their gaze as their enemy. Feeling the icy warning lick down my spine, I did the very opposite of what was smart as I inclined my head even though my stomach felt like it was tearing at the seams by that motion alone.
I refused to bow to any part of the unspoken command in his stance, throwing up one last mask as a lazy smile curved up at the corner of my lips.
"Really, Adriano? I knew you three were getting old but I didn't realize eight o'clock was late enough to be classified as the dead of night now."
I spoke with every intention to keep my tone steady and resisting but it was like my body straight up refused as my voice quietly, suddenly needing to grab onto something as I swayed in my spot. Pulling my hands from my pocket just in time to catch myself, I was suddenly gripped onto the edge of their counter high storage cabinet that rested against the wall, the stark white wood instantly smeared with the color of my blood.
"What the fuck!" I heard Gregorio swear just as my body started to go down, my grip slipping before I could even try to catch myself.
I braced myself for the impact of my knees meeting the ground just for it to never come, three bodies moving so quickly I felt dizzy as Adriano looped me up into his arms. The sudden movement had me recoiling in an unconscious attempt to guard my stomach from being jostled too badly but not even a second later was Domenico there too, tearing at the top of my sweater where my zipper was.
Whatever sense of calmness they had only a second ago was gone now as Gregorio came to my side, pressing his hand against my forehead just as Domenico got the zipper all the way down. Although my equally dark shirt remained beneath it, a sudden chill passed over me at the thought of them seeing what had happened, all of them moving so damn fast I barely had time to protest before hands were tugging at that too.
Peeling the fabric away from my skin, I hid my face with their sharp inhales at the first glimpse of the damage across my stomach. Even though it was hard to see with the mixture of dirt and blood, I could make out at least two gashes deep enough to consider stitches. At least ten smaller scratches caught in splinters surrounding the area.
It was so much worse than I feared and based on the paleness of all of their faces, I knew the twins had never called any of them about this. They likely never did realize who they had been chasing after all.
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